Qvs A1
Sony
A1 (2021)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
View A1
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Street, Travel & Fine Art Photography — Q (2015): The camera that redefined luxury compact photography — a full-frame sensor, the finest 28mm compact lens available, and a shooting feel that is uniquely Leica.
Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting — A1 (2021): 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
Who should buy what
Q (2015)
- Street and documentary photographers who want a full-frame fixed-lens camera with iconic character
- Travel photographers who want the finest compact image quality available
- Leica enthusiasts who want an autofocus alternative to the M system
- Photographers who value build quality and shooting experience as much as spec sheets
A1 (2021)
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
Quick take: The a1 has the highest resolution at 50mp; the q is the most affordable; only the a1 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Q (2015) | A1 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,999 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 24.2MP Full-Frame CMOS | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 50.1MP |
| Video | 1080p/60p | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF, 49 AF fields, face detection | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points |
| Stabilisation | None | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 10fps | 30fps electronic with full AF/AE |
| Battery Life | ~270 shots (CIPA) | ~430 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 640g (with battery and card) | 737g (with battery) |
| Dimensions | 130.0 × 80.0 × 93.5mm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 3.68M dots, 0.68× magnification | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Fixed Leica Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I slot | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Q | A1 |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Wedding | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with Q
Camera family history